


Personal Affairs

by AnnaWatermelon



Series: Café Hwarang [4]
Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 10:25:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17201750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaWatermelon/pseuds/AnnaWatermelon
Summary: Minho and Kibum are fighting and Jinki is caught in the middle.





	Personal Affairs

**Author's Note:**

> Have an Onminkey-centered chapter. Merry Christmas.

“Hyung?”

 

Jinki looked up from his checklist to Minho, who was avoiding his eyes and clasping his hands in front of him, and set his jaw. If he was this nervous around him, whatever he had to say couldn’t be good. “What is it, baby?” He asked, keeping his voice calming, gentle.

 

Minho’s adams apple bobbed when he swallowed. “Is it okay if I don’t do any scenes with Kibum today?” 

 

If his scared voice wasn’t enough to break Jinki’s heart, his words certainly were. He set his clipboard on the nearest surface he could find and rose to his feet, face to face with Minho now. “What’s going on?”

 

Minho opened his mouth as if to answer before closing it again, eyes darting to the side. “I don’t know if I should say since it involves Kibum, too.”

 

Kibum. Not Kibummie, not even Kibum-ah, but Kibum. Jinki nodded and sat back down, pretending to read his clipboard, waiting. The silence only lasted a second before Minho broke it. “I think we’re fighting.” Minho said, no longer able to keep it inside anymore. It was what Jinki had expected but it was the last thing he wanted to hear. He kept his face carefully blank but his throat had dried up. “It was his fault, though.”

 

Ah, so this was still fresh in their minds. Minho hadn’t had enough time to view the situation as anything more than black and white yet. “I’ll see what I can do.” Jinki answered, determined to stay gray and neutral. 

 

A ghost of a smile tugged at Minho’s lips. “Thank you, hyung.” He said before scampering off to finish his morning duties. But Jinki stayed put, cemented to the chair from the weight in his stomach. Of course he knew it was only natural for people who spend so much time together to have disagreements, but it didn’t stop him from wishing Kibum and Minho would be spared. The idea of the two people he loved the most no longer getting along left a deep hole in his chest, so scared of what had become the norm for them suddenly changing. 

 

However, Jinki was nothing if not level-headed. He still woke with both of them on either side of him, so it couldn’t be anything too serious. And he was their hyung, he’d know how to help them, and even if he didn’t, he’d find out. 

 

But as for now, there was a shipment of roasted coffee beans he was supposed to be taking care of. Personal matters would have to wait.

* * *

  
  


“Jinki hyung.”

 

This was now the second time today someone was asking for him, except now he was in the back room of the cafe and had lettuce stuck on his lip. “Wha?” He said, voice muffled through the sandwich still in his mouth.

 

Kibum stood above him, arms crossed, probably looking angry to anyone but Jinki. “Can I talk to you for a second?” His usually cutting tone was softer, another indication that he wasn’t irritated. Jinki just happened to know that the majority of Kibum’s less pleasant emotions took the physical form of annoyance. He wrapped what was left of his sandwich back in its plastic bag and placed it on the table behind him.

 

Kibum let out a huff of air. “Did Minho tell you anything yet?”

 

“Not really?” Jinki said, brushing the dirt off his pants as he stood. “All he said was you were fighting.” The way Kibum’s face fell made Jinki want to take it back, to pull him in close, but he knew this wasn’t the time for it. “Or at least he  _ thought _ you were.” He continued, next best thing he could think to do.

 

A hand reached out to pick the lettuce off Jinki’s face before it was tucked under Kibum’s arm once again. “I guess we are, then.”

 

“Kibummie - “ Jinki bit his lip, nickname spilling out of his mouth so naturally. Kibum’s expression didn’t change though and he was in the clear, “What happened between you two?”

 

“It was my fault.” Kibum said, taking Jinki by surprise. Perhaps this situation was closer to black and white than he originally pictured. He wasn’t sure if that made things easier or harder for him. “I said something stupid while we were out last night and he’s still upset.”

 

Jinki wasn’t going to ask what it was. If Kibum wanted to tell him, he would. And yet he was cursing himself for not joining them and their friends yesterday, wishing he had been there to make everything okay instead of studying for his exams. “Did you apologize to him?”

 

“Yes!” Kibum threw his hands in the air and let them drop to his sides. “That’s the whole point! I apologized and he still won’t say more than two words to me!” His voice cracked at the end and Jinki flinched.

 

Now it was okay for him to wrap his arms around Kibum, to stroke his back and speak softly into his ear. “I know this is hard for you. It’s okay to be upset.” Kibum sniffled a little and Jinki went on, trying to alleviate both of their pain, “You just want things back to the way they were, it’s normal to want that.” He hoped he was saying the right things, and when Kibum hugged him back, he felt reassured that he was.

 

“I feel like shit.” Kibum said, making Jinki grimace. Hearing him insult himself was another knife in the chest. “I can’t believe I said that to him.”

 

Jinki began slowly rocking them side to side, repeating, helping both of them calm their breathing. “You spoke without thinking, it happens. We all make mistakes, Kibum-ah, the fact that you recognize yours and try and make amends is what makes you a good person.”

 

“I can’t - ” Kibum’s voice broke again and so did Jinki’s heart. “I can’t handle it if one of you left me. You’re all I have.”

 

Jinki sighed through his nose, skin starting to crawl at what Kibum had said. Him and Minho were lucky, with both his parents not only accepting their relationship, but essentially adopting both his boyfriends as well. Minho’s mother was the same, even though his dad was another story. But neither of them had ever even met Kibum’s parents. They disowned him as a teenager when someone outed his sexual orientation, leaving him to live with his grandmother. Apparently she was perfect in every way imaginable, according to Kibum, but she passed away before Jinki could meet her. Kibum had no family besides him and Minho. Kibum himself would be the first to admit that he relies too much on his boyfriends for his emotional wellbeing, but even though he was trying to find other people, they were still his biggest supports.

 

And yet, “You have so much more than us, Kibum. You have so many friends that love you and a grandma watching you from above.” He pulled away to face Kibum, brushing away the single tear that happened to fall. “But we’re not going anywhere, you know. You’re stuck with us. I used super glue.”

 

A small laugh slipped past Kibum’s lips, a big victory on Jinki’s end. “Old man.” They both smiled at that, knowing the nickname came from a place of fondness, as well as knowing Kibum would be okay with time. He took a step backwards and gestured behind him towards the door. “I’ll let you finish eating. Sorry to bother you on your break.”

 

“You’re never a bother.” Jinki said, and it was suddenly so important that Kibum knew this, and he accentuated it with a kiss on his forehead. When he pulled back, all he saw was Kibum trying to fight the smile on his face, but he’d never be able to hide the way his entire face glowed from Jinki’s affection. “You know I love you, right?” 

 

It was Kibum who leaned in for a kiss this time, pressing his lips against Jinki’s, so fast it left Jinki’s skin buzzing. “Love you too, hyung.”

* * *

  
  


In the end Jinki only had to cover for his boyfriends once, telling the customer that Kibum was too sick to do scenes at the moment and filling his spot himself. He eased his conscience by saying it wasn’t a complete lie, because Kibum’s heart was hurting, but he still felt a little guilty. Nothing compared to how awful he’d feel if he made Kibum and Minho even more furious around each other.

 

Now he was just sweeping the floor of the cafe, Jonghyun and Taemin doing their own cleaning duties and Minho emptying the cash register. He had told Kibum to head home early so now Minho was doing his job and Jinki was doing both his own and Minho’s.

 

Minho finished first but wasn’t ready to head out yet, judging by how he was approaching Jinki, no longer wringing his hands but still too stiff. “Jinki hyung, can I ask for some advice?”

 

Cleaning could wait, Jinki thought when he dropped the supplies and sat down at the nearest table, Minho joining him on the opposite side. “You can always ask me for anything, baby.”

 

“It’s just…” Minho started and sighed, looking around the room as he thought before meeting Jinki’s eyes again. “What Kibum said.”

 

Jinki blinked at him. “What about it?”

 

“Did he tell you?” Minho’s face scrunched up when he said that, as though the words tasted sour in his mouth. Jinki shook his head and Minho breathed out again. “I feel like I’m overreacting.” Jinki opened his mouth to say something but Minho continued, “We were talking with our friends, I don’t remember what about, but someone mentioned skinship because we were all a little drunk.” He paused and Jinki kept his attention on him, letting him know he was listening. “Kibum said he really likes being excessively clingy and I pointed out that he never is with me.” Minho’s eyes started to drop and he bit his bottom lip. “So he said he only does it with people he gets along with.”

 

Jinki felt that stab in his chest again, not only hurt by those words, but by knowing who said it. He already knew how awful Kibum felt for saying that, but it still didn’t change how angry he was that someone out there had hurt Minho’s feelings. But he wasn’t here to feel Minho’s emotions for him, he was here to listen and hopefully help. 

 

“I know he was a little tipsy, and I know it was a joke, but I just.” Minho paused to take a deep breath and let it out, “It hurt. It still hurts.”

 

Jinki reached across the table and held Minho’s hand, palm on top of his fist. “It’s understandable that you’re hurt, someone you thought cared about you said something that suggested otherwise.” He rubbed his thumb back and forth across Minho’s knuckles and his face relaxed the slightest bit. “There’s no such thing as having too much of an emotion. You have to let yourself feel in order to heal.”

 

Minho was able to look at Jinki with genuine happiness in his eyes now, always so effortless to read from how impossibly large they were. “Thank you, hyung.” Minho gave him an awkward smile, side of his mouth twitching upwards. “I’m still trying to believe that.”

 

For the second time that day Jinki found himself getting angered at the thought of his boyfriend’s lives before he was a part of them. Minho’s dad was a failed athlete who projected his broken dreams onto his two sons, signing them both up for soccer when they were young. But Minho was younger, shorter, and skinnier than his brother; he could never reach the same level as him. So instead he was compared to him. It wasn’t just in sports, either, it was everything in their day to day life. And whenever Minho was overwhelmed, tired of living in his brother’s shadow, it was always the same story: your brother never acts out this way, why can’t you be more like him instead of being an embarrassment? He never learned to feel emotions in a healthy way, only to suppress them and try his best to be the son his parents wanted. 

 

And now that he was with Kibum and Jinki, who loved him and wanted the best for him, trying to help him unlearn that was an ongoing effort. The fact that Minho could accept Jinki’s words as the truth and even admit that he’s trying to change the way he thinks about himself was an amazing leap from where he was a year ago. So Jinki gave him a smile back, one that expressed everything he was thinking without him having to say it. Minho would know what it meant. “I’m glad you can do at least that much.”

 

Minho beamed at the praise, face flushing the slightest bit. “Thank you, again, hyung.” He took a deep breath to prepare himself for this next line, a sentence that was just another thing he was trying to get used to. “I love you.”

 

Jinki lifted their hands to his mouth and kissed Minho’s knuckles. “Mmm, love you too, baby.”

* * *

  
  


As usual, Jinki was the last to go home, something that happened more often than not. Always taking extra time to make sure everything was perfect for tomorrow, fixing any last minute changes, closing the shop and taking the next bus home. But when he arrived, he was surprised at how normal everything looked. Minho and Kibum, watching old movies together, snuggled on the couch in matching pajamas.

 

“I assume you two made up, then.” Jinki tried, side-eyeing them as he hung his coat up, smirking at their equally wet hair.

 

They both looked at each other, smiles gradually building the longer they stared, unable to hide how happy they made each other. “You could say that.” Kibum said, and Minho snorted, burying his face in Kibum’s shoulder.

 

Jinki shook the snow out of his hair and made his way towards the bathroom, determined to warm his ears and fingers in the shower until he could feel them again. “Next time you ‘make up’, can you at least wait until I get home?”

 

The smirk Kibum gave him made Jinki gulp, knowing exactly what he had in mind before he even said it. “Who says we can’t go for round two?”


End file.
